Tom Pauken, former White House staffer was the main guest speaker at the San Patricio County Republican Women's monthly luncheon held at the North Shore Country Club in Portland last Tuesday. Pauken spoke about his belief in local control of education and advocated the end of Common Core State Standards Initiative.

PORTLAND - Former White House staffer Tom Pauken discussed conservative economic proposals with GOP members Tuesday at Portland’s North Shore Country Club.

The San Patricio County Republican Women hosted its monthly meeting at the club, which featured Pauken as its guest speaker. Pauken served on President Ronald Reagan’s staff. He eliminated the use of federal tax dollars to fund Saul Alinsky-style leftist organizations after Reagan appointed him as the Director of the Action Agency.

Pauken recommended lowering the U.S. corporate income tax rate, which is currently 35 percent.

U.S. corporations currently face the highest statutory corporate income tax rate in the world at 39.1 percent. The rate is tabulated by combining the country’s 35 percent federal rate and the average rate levied by U.S. states. Pauken said the rate puts corporations at a competitive disadvantage, and contributes to America’s loss of jobs to other countries. He recommended lowering the corporate income tax rate to 8 or 9 percent.

“We’re losing small businesses with all of these regulations,” Pauken said. “Government is killing small business. We’ve got to put a tax in place that brings jobs home to America. The jobs will fall back into the U.S.”

Pauken is a small business owner and the author of The Thirty Years War: The Politics of the Sixties Generation and Bringing America Home: How America Lost Her Way and How We Can Find Our Way Back.

Pauken served as chairman of the Texas Workforce Commission from 2008 to 2012, when he led efforts to provide more opportunities for vocational education and a return to local control of education. He maintains his belief in local control of education today, and advocates the end of the Common Core State Standards Initiative, which details what K-12 students should know in English language arts and mathematics at the end of each grade.

“When I was on the Reagan Administration, we tried to abolish the Department of Education,” Pauken said. “It ought to be on our agenda. I’m of the belief of local control of education, and getting rid of the Common Core. We need to return control of education to local governments.”

Pauken advocates the termination the Affordable Care Act.

“We’ve got to have a transition from Obamacare to a system we once had,” he said. “We’ve got to go to an approach that protects Medicare and provides better healthcare in a less expensive way.”

Republicans must work together to develop fiscal and social plans that neutralize liberal agendas, Pauken said.

“I don’t want to dwell too much on what’s wrong,” he said. “We listen to it day in and day out because we listen to conservative radio hosts. We’ve got to develop an effective strategy to turn things around and neutralize the left. The left is a very powerful force. You take them on, and they come after you.”